Blintzes for Everyone!

Creative and delicious blintzes for Shavuot.

Shavuot is one of my favorite holidays. I feel the awesome excitement of having received the Torah and the joy of being part of the Jewish People. Here in Chicago, the weather finally starts to turn summerlike. I identify with the beautiful Shavuot symbols of flowers at Mount Sinai and the first harvest, because here too, everything is green and starting to grow.

On a different level, one of the biggest reasons I love Shavuot is because we have a custom to eat dairy foods! I get to make all the rich, creamy, butter filled foods that I don’t make during the year! I can’t wait to make decadent cheesecakes, butter rich cookies, and indulgent cheesy side dishes (cheesy anything!).

One of the foods most associated with Shavuot is the ubiquitous blintz. A crepe-like pancake, filled, rolled and usually fried, the blintz is a Shavuot staple with European origins. Growing up, my grandmother a”h lived with us in our home. An immigrant from Lithuania, we learned the delicious, time tested classic recipes from my Bubbie. My Mom (ad meah v’esrim) is the one that gave me my Bubbie’s original blintz wrapper recipe. “One, one, one” she told me. It’s easy to remember that way and it always comes out right. One egg, one cup of water, and one cup of flour. It hasn’t failed me yet!

On a recent 12-hour road trip, my husband and I had a rare opportunity to have an extended period of time to talk. We discussed blintz fillings (which says a lot about us!). A blintz is just a wrapper around a filling. Although we love the “old school” classic cheese filled blintz, the variety of possible fillings is endless. I’m happy to share with you some of the ideas we came up with (we had lots of time!) and I’m sure that with a little creativity you can come up with some new filling ideas of your own!

BLINTZ WRAPPERS:

Tools needed:

Whisk or fork

3 quart work bowl

Non-stick frying pan

Large spatula for flipping wraps

Silicone or metal spatula for spreading batter

Ladle (or 1 cup measuring cup)

1 cup measuring cup

Plate for stacking wraps

Waxed paper

Makes approximately 6 blintzes. Can be doubled.

CLASSIC BLINTZ WRAPPERS:

These are the classic Blintz pancakes that my grandmother used to make!

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup warm water

1 large egg

additional salt or sugar (optional)

non-stick vegetable spray

In a 3 quart work bowl (medium) blend egg and water together using a whisk or fork. Whisk in flour until smooth.

Spray a large non-stick skillet with non-stick vegetable spray. Ladle batter onto the center of the skillet. Immediately spread the batter into a larger circle. When batter is nearly cooked through, use the large spatula to flip the wrap over to cook on the second side. Cook the wrap for another minute, then remove to a plate to cool. Stack blintz wraps between sheets of waxed paper.

GLUTEN-FREE BLINTZ WRAPPERS:

This recipe allows the GFE (Gluten Free Eater) to enjoy the Shavuot blintzes with everyone in the family!

3 large eggs

½ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

¼ cup potato starch

In a 3 quart work bowl (medium) blend egg and water together using a whisk or fork. Whisk in salt and potato starch until smooth.

Spray a large non-stick skillet with non-stick vegetable spray. Ladle batter onto the center of the skillet. Immediately spread the batter into a larger circle. When batter is nearly cooked through, use the large spatula to flip the wrap over to cook on the second side. Cook the wrap for another minute, then remove to a plate to cool. Stack blintz wraps between sheets of waxed paper.

BLINTZ FILLINGS:

Use any of these delicious fillings to stuff your Blintz wrappers, or come up with your own creative filling!

HOW TO FINISH THE BLINTZES:

¼ cup liquid egg substitute (for sealing blintzes)

Your Favorite Blintz filling

oil, butter, or non-stick vegetable spray for frying

Remove a pre-made blintz wrapper from the stack. Place approximately one tablespoon of filling around 1 ½ inches from the top of the wrapper. Fold the sides of the wrapper over the filling slightly over lapping. Brush a small amount of liquid egg over the bottom of the inside of the wrap. Fold the top of the wrap over the filling and roll, pressing lightly to seal at the end. Set aside on a plate. Finish remaining filling with the rest of the wrappers.

In a large (preferably non-stick) skillet heat oil, butter, or non-stick vegetable spray until hot. Place blintzes in pan, seam side down and fry on medium-high heat until golden brown. Flip blintzes and repeat on second side. Remove from pan.

For a lower fat blintz, bake in the oven at 350° F for 10-15 minutes until brown, but they are crispier (and yummier!) fried.

CLASSIC BLINTZ FILLING:

This is the “Old School” classic blintz filling that Bubbie used to make.

Stir yogurt in container with a fork or small whisk to blend. Add sugar or honey and mix well. If yogurt is a more fluid type add only one teaspoon of liquid egg, otherwise blend in 1 ½ teaspoons of liquid egg.

These upscale blintzes are a trendy version of the classic cheese filled blintz. Served with a sour cream dill sauce, these flavorful blintzes are sure to wow your guests!

Makes 12 blintzes.

BLINTZ FILLING:

1 pound goat cheese

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

? teaspoon black pepper

3 ounces smoked salmon, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon finely chopped chives

Combine the cheese and egg in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Add the pepper, salmon, dill and chives. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Note: You can use an herbed goat cheese for extra flavor!

SOUR CREAM DILL SAUCE WITH CHIVES:

16 ounces sour cream (can be lowfat)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

additional chives and dill for garnish

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Spoon onto finished blintzes and garnish with additional chives and dill.

KID FRIENDLY PIZZA BLINTZES:

It can be hard at times to get kids to eat the “grownup” foods at the Yom Tov table. These kid friendly blintzes are sure to please kids of all ages!

8 ounces shredded pizza cheese

8 ounces pizza sauce

8 ounces canned mushrooms, drained

8 blintz wrappers

For each blintz, spread sauce over the top half of the blintz wrapper no more that an inch and a half from the edge. Top with shredded cheese and mushrooms. Roll and fry as directed above.

Note: You can add your favorite vegetables or pizza toppings to the filling – just like your favorite pizza!

I’M NOT EATING DAIRY ON SHAVUOT BLINTZ:

For those that don’t eat dairy foods on Shavuot, here is an alternative that still let’s you enjoy blintzes on Shavuot with a pareve cream filling and spicy beef!

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 small red pepper, finely diced (optional)

12 ounces tomato paste

15 ounces tomato sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

12 blintz wrappers

CREAM SAUCE:

1 cup soy milk or non-dairy creamer, cold

3 tablespoons corn starch

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon margarine

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain off fat if necessary. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper to the beef. Sauté until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder and crushed red pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined.

In a small pot combine the soy milk, corn starch, and garlic powder. Stir over medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken – it should be the consistency of a thick cream. Add the margarine and stir until melted and the sauce is smooth.

For each blintz, spread approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the beef mixture approximately 1 ½ inches from the top of the wrapper. Spoon ½ tablespoon of the cream sauce over the beef. Finish the blintzes as directed above, reserving leftover filling and sauce for garnishing.

This is the classic blintz soufflé that is often the centerpiece of the Shavuot meal. You can use home made blintzes, or any variety of store bought fruit blintzes. I often will make it with cherry, cheese, and blueberry flavored blintzes in different sections of the soufflé – this way everyone gets their favorite!

12 filled blintzes, unfried

16 ounce containers, sour cream (can be lowfat)

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup orange juice

4 large eggs

non-stick vegetable spray

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a large 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick vegetable spray. Evenly place the blintzes in the casserole, seam side down. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, vanilla, orange juice and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Pour the sour cream mixture over the blintzes. Smooth to evenly distribute the sour cream over the blintzes. Bake for 1 hour until browned.

What could be better than caramel and sweet mascarpone cheese? Caramelizing sugar on top of the blintz with a blow torch! They’re fun to make, and you can amaze your family and guests with your culinary expertise!!

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons liquid egg, or measure 2 teaspoons from a beaten egg

12 ounce jar, thick caramel topping

½ cup sugar

additional caramel topping to garnish

chocolate covered toffee bits – like Heath (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix cheese, sugar and eggs together until smooth. Prepare blintzes according to above directions, using 1 ½ tablespoons of cheese filling and 1 tablespoon of thick caramel sauce for each blintz.

TO FINISH BLINTZES:

prinkle each blintz with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Using a hand held blow torch, caramelize the sugar on each blintz. Garnish with Caramel Cream, additional caramel topping, and toffee bits.

CARAMEL CREAM:

16 ounces heavy whipping cream

6 ounces caramel topping

Whip cream with an electric mixer until stiff. With the mixer running, gradually add caramel topping to cream. Whip until soft peaks form.

Combine the cheese, sugar, eggs and brandy in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 3-5 minutes until smooth. Finish the blintzes as directed above, and top with Coffee Cream, sifted cocoa, and chocolate covered coffee beans.

COFFEE CREAM:

16 ounces heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons instant coffee

2 tablespoons hot water

In a small glass or bowl, dissolve coffee in hot water. Set dissolved coffee aside and allow to cool. In a large mixing bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Add the dissolved coffee to the cream and re-whip until soft peaks form.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Sharon Matten lives in Chicago and is a Freelance Pastry Chef, Kosher Food Writer & Blogger, Cable TV guest Chef, Wilton Cake Instructor, Cookbook Contributing Editor, Electrical Engineer, Wife & Mom (not in order of importance!). She writes the weekly www.koshereveryday.com blog about cooking kosher with a family and busy life – pictures and recipes included! To get more great recipes, and to find out more information about Sharon Matten go to www.koshereveryday.com.

Visitor Comments: 15

Shalom,
Loved your recipes. Some great tips. Much appreciated!
I would like to send you my recipe for Lemon Blintzes or Crepes.

Anonymous,
April 22, 2013 10:43 PM

I'd love to get your recipe!!

Thanks Carol! I'd love to get your recipe! You can send it to sharon@koshereveryday.com - Thanks! I look forward to getting it.
Sharon

(11)
Arianne Kerr,
April 26, 2012 7:08 PM

How can I make them GF and veagn

I need a recipe that is GF and vegan. Could I use flax gel for egg substitute? Or how could I do that? Thanks

Anonymous,
April 22, 2013 10:44 PM

You can easily make these gluten free by substituting potato starch for the flour - I do it all the time. Regarding the egg substitute...I don't have any experience with it, sorry. You could try it and let me know!
Good luck!
Sharon

(10)
Chaya,
February 5, 2012 9:01 PM

where to get cholov Yisroel Mascarpone

I would love to try these recipes but I have never seen Cholov Yisrael Mascarpone? Any suggestions where to get it?

Sharon Matten,
April 22, 2013 10:42 PM

You could try cream cheese

Hi Chaya,
You could try cream cheese with a little extra sugar or sweetener. Please let me know how they turn out!
Sharon

(9)
Sharon Matten,
June 14, 2011 11:49 PM

Thanks for your comments...some of my own!

Thanks for your great comments everyone!! I'm so glad you loved the recipes. I love the idea of using whole wheat flour - I also find that whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour work really well and are lighter than standard whole wheat flour.
I also wanted to recommend an alternative for the dessert blintzes: You can leave out the egg and just serve them "unfried". I would still blow torch the Caramel Blintzes (of course!!) though.
Thanks again for all your great comments!! You can find more recipes at www.koshereveryday.com and here at aish.com in the future I"H!!
Sharon :-)

(8)
Elisha,
June 10, 2011 11:12 PM

I made these!

I made the gluten free goat cheese and salmon blintzes for Shabbas dinner tonight. They were a HUGE hit! Everyone loved them and went back for more. Thanks for posting!!!

(7)
Lisa,
June 10, 2011 12:21 PM

Please take more 12-hour road trips!...

(6)
Anonymous,
June 8, 2011 6:28 PM

Amazing Pizza Blintzes

My kids(and Husband) loved the pizza blintzes! I actually made them with whole wheat flower so I could eat them too, and the kids asked me to make more! Thanks for the great idea, and for making our yom tov more special!

(5)
Valerie,
June 6, 2011 1:10 AM

What a great article! Looks so worth the calories.

(4)
Emiarmstrong,
June 5, 2011 4:41 PM

love them

I love fruit filled blintzs topped with sour cream

(3)
Fran,
June 5, 2011 4:31 PM

Sharon is a culinary genius. Thanks for sharing her creative approach to a dish that I had previously considered so mundane.

(2)
heidi,
June 5, 2011 4:21 PM

yum!

great read! looks awesome, thanks so much for sharing.

(1)
Anonymous,
June 5, 2011 1:23 PM

RE: recipe CARAMEL AND MARSCAPONE DESSERT BLINTZ

So many people, including some chefs confuse the proper name for this lovely cheese. It is MASCARPONE. There is NO R before the S.